Top 10 Sports Stories of 2018

Wow what a year 2018 was as far as sports goes in Southeastern Colorado. The Independent expanded their sports coverage in August when John Contreras, long time Lamar Ledger sports reporter, came aboard. His mission was to cover the four small schools connecting Kiowa County to the south. And cover he did as Contreras is no stranger to preps sports nor the area.

Needless to say, the sports stories of 2018 were exciting and represented the best of what this part of the state has to offer in talented athletes and dedicated coaches. We covered state championships, astounding athletes, and legendary coaches.

There is a lot to be proud of in southeastern Colorado and the preps sports scene. So, sit back and take a little walk with the Independent as we make our way through the exciting sports year of 2018.

Note: These rankings are based on analytics from our webpage, facebook page, and google:

#10 – July 11, 2018 (tie)SOUTHERN PLAINS 11U ALL-STARS ENTERTAIN FANS THROUGH THREE TOURNAMENTSBy Betsy BarnettThe 11U 70s division of the Babe Ruth organization is a tough division that teaches future high school players how to play the game right. For an 11-year-old, the pitching rules and base distances make for a mighty big field for such young players. However, this year’s Southern Plains 11U All-Star team managed to figure out how to play this game while keeping fans entertained throughout three tournaments including two invitationals in Garden City and the state tournament hosted by Southeast Denver. SOUTHERN PLAINS 10U SOFTBALL FINISHES SEASON IN MIDWEST REGIONALSBy Betsy BarnettThe Southern Plains 10U Softball All-Stars traveled to Harper, Kansas over the weekend to the site of the 2018 Babe Ruth Midwest Regional Softball finals. They were short-handed missing a couple of players but made the best of their opportunity by competing well against teams from Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. When the sun had set on the tournament, Southern Plains had made plenty of noise defeating the Colorado state champions, a team that had beaten them in Denver, 21-3. They also came close to pulling a major upset on the host team.

#9 – April 11, 2018JEANETTE STEERMAN EARNS ALL-AMERICAN AS A NATIONAL RUNNER-UP BOXERBy Betsy BarnettThe United States Naval Academy (USNA) has a significant boxing history and has had organized boxing since the 1920s. One of the highlights of student activity at the Academy is Brigade Championships. Any midshipman can enter the Brigade Championship Tournament, and many do who are not members of the official team. This year the Naval Brigades of Midshipmen had the 77th annual Brigade Championships. Jeanette Steerman won the championships at the 147 lb. class as a Plebe. That win got her a number one seed at the National United States Collegiate Boxing tournament at West Point, New York this past weekend April 5, 6, and 7, 2018. She met up in the championship match against Janel Tracy from the USNA. The bout was a hard fought bout with two hard hitting, aggressive fighters that went the distance, but Jeanette came up a little short, losing by decision, 5-0, and taking second place.

#8– June 6, 2018REESE BARNETT WINS U.S. KIDS GOLF SPRING TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPBy Betsy BarnettOn Sunday, Reese Barnett, seven-year-old rising second grader at Eads Elementary, won the U.S. Kids Golf Spring Tour Championship in her age division at the King’s Deer Golf Club in Monument, Colorado shooting a 38 on the par 36 course. The 38 was the lowest score on the day in all divisions although her yardage is not as far as for the older players. For her efforts, she was named the Player of the Year for the Spring Tour and received a trophy and medal for the win.

#7 – October 24, 2018CEREMONY TO BE HELD TO DEDICATE ‘MANUEL GONZALES FIELD”By John ContrerasThe Granada Sports Complex will be renamed “Manuel Gonzales Field” in honor of the longtime and legendary coach. Manual stepped down as the head coach of the Granada football program this season after 45 years at the helm. He remains on the sideline as an assistant coach under his oldest son and new head coach Junior Gonzales. ‘Coach G’ has been coaching since 1973 and he’s still going strong. He has coached football, basketball, baseball, and track for the Bobcats. In his 45 years he has guided an average of 900 players per sport. ‘Coach G’ directed his teams to eight state championships and also a number of state runner-up finishes. His teams captured three football state titles (1979, 1988, 2006), two boys basketball titles (1989, 1991) and three baseball crowns (1991, 1995, 2009). ‘Coach G’ was inducted into Colorado HS Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002; National HS Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006; Colorado Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2009; and the Colorado High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

#6– May 23, 2018EADS GIRLS’ TRACK TEAM PLACES 4th IN STATE MEET BEHIND SMITH’S DISCUS CHAMPIONSHIPBy Betsy Barnett“We did everything we could to bring home a championship, as every single race we ran was our best time---every single one.” That was the sentiment from Eads Head Track & Field coach Stephanie Bohlander about the fourth-place team finish her eight girls brought home from Jeffco Stadium in Denver over the weekend. The Eagles finished fourth scoring 52 points. Leading the girls’ team was the only senior on the team, Mariah Smith, who nailed a state record breaking 133’ 8” discus throw that elevated her to state champion status. NOTE: The next week Smith signed a NCAA commitment letter to throw at Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo on a track scholarship.

#5 – November 14, 2018PENNY ISENBART NAMED COLORADO’S VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR IN ALL DIVISIONSBy Betsy BarnettBefore the championships on Saturday night there was a Parade of Champions that featured something very special. Coach Penny Isenbart was named Colorado’s Coach of the Year by CHSAA. Coach Isenbart has become one of the most iconic coaches in 1A Volleyball as since 1997 she has led the Kit Carson Wildcats to superior volleyball accolades and success. In this her 21st season she has an overall record of 408-149 including state championships in 2006, 2017 and now 2018; and two state runner-up finishes. On Saturday night she prepared for her fifth state championship game, most of them featuring her four daughters who have played for the Cats throughout their storied careers.

#4 – February 21, 2018 TREVOR RANDEL GRABS THE 152 LB STATE TITLE IN THRILLING 4-3 MATCH: Rivals place 6th as a teamBy Rhonda UhlandThere comes a time in a young man’s life that the dream just might be within reach. The long practices, the cutting weight, and the dedication to the sport might just pay off. The blood, sweat, and yes, the tears, have been worth it. The struggle that you had to live through makes the dream that much more satisfying. TREVOR RANDEL lived his dream this weekend during the State Wrestling Tournament in Denver at the Pepsi Center. If you are familiar with the “new age”, Randel was trending on social media with all the posts, pictures, and video.

#3 – March 14, 2018WILDCATS DEFEND THEIR 1A GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TITLE WITH BACK-2-BACK ACHIEVEMENTBy Betsy BarnettThey’ve done it again! What started last year in a quest for a state championship for a group of girls from Kit Carson High School has now grown into three state championships within the span of three seasons. The Wildcat girls now hold the 2017 1A title in Volleyball and two state titles in Basketball after a dominating performance at this year’s Colorado 1A State Basketball Championships in Greeley and Loveland over the weekend. But perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that the seniors on this year’s Wildcat team, Micayla Isenbart and Paige Johnson, will forever more be known as the players who achieved an astounding 98-2 record throughout their four years of preps basketball.

#2 – November 14, 2018‘NO REGRETS’ WAS THE THEME OF THE KIT CARSON BACK-2-BACK STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMBy Betsy BarnettFor an athlete like Kit Carson’s 6’2 senior middle hitter Olivia Isenbart leaving the volleyball court with no regrets was strong on her mind during the final push by La Veta in the state championship game on Saturday night. Throughout the grueling 1A State Volleyball Tournament in Denver over the weekend the Kit Carson Lady Wildcats kept their sites set on the goal they had set back at the start of the summer. That collective goal was a second, a back-to-back, state championship. They were expected to win as they were loaded with perhaps the best senior class this part of the state has seen in many years.

#1 – December 19, 2018 (tie)LADY WILDCATS BREAK LAMAR HBT RECORD WITH 5TH CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIPBy Betsy BarnettThe dominance of the Kit Carson Girls’ program continued to be on display in the Lamar Community Building throughout last weekend as the Wildcats won an unprecedented fifth consecutive Holiday Basketball Championship --- an achievement never reached before. In a special coincidence, the boys’ champions, Holly (also Wildcats), won their fifth consecutive championship breaking a Holiday Tournament record.HOLLY BOYS CLAIM RECORD 5th TITLE IN LAMAR HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTBy John Contreras It was history in the making in this year’s 55th annual Lamar Holiday Basketball Tournament that concluded a three-day run from Dec. 13-15 at the Lamar Community Building in Lamar. The Kit Carson girls and the Holly boys became the first teams to capture an unprecedented fifth consecutive tournament titles in the long history of the prestigious tournament. The Holly boys (6-0) posted an impressive 67-35 win over the Springfield Longhorns (4-2) in their championship showdown.

In closing, it’s exciting to think about all the amazing sports stories we will be generating during 2019. Based on what we saw at the Lamar Holiday Basketball Tournament and the early performances of local wrestling teams like the County Line Rivals and Holly Wildcats, there may be the potential for even more athletic dominance in the year to come.